


In My Room

by hwe (plumroot)



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21872017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumroot/pseuds/hwe
Summary: One shots for our favourite couple (that I probably won't/can't continue).
Relationships: Goo Junhoe/Kim Donghyuk
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. NIGHT_01: HOT_TUTOR

**Author's Note:**

> It's coming close to one year since I posted _Come As You Please and Give Me Love_. Unlike that time when I was planning to post rejects but ended up writing and posting whole stories for it, this time it will really only be the rejects. I'm sorry to be posting these, but also we're about to enter the 20s and I want to start that as a New Writer. Fill the blanks with your imagination :( 
> 
> The title _In My Room_ comes from the book Donghyuk makes in that iconic jundong 'It's Okay to Go a Little Crazy' episode. 

"What's wrong?"

Donghyuk looks up over his laptop to witness a rather displeasing sight: Chanwoo sitting across him with bright orange Dorito crumbs collected in the corners of his mouth that fall as he chews, spotting his black t-shirt. Donghyuk doesn't remember buying Doritos during his last grocery trip, but he's also pretty sure Chanwoo didn't bring over anything other than his Surface Pro. Which means what the Computer Science major is currently snacking on, quite care-freely, most likely belongs to Donghyuk's petty flatmate. Which is another can of worms in itself. Donghyuk will worry about that later.

"What?"

"I'm eating obnoxiously loudly and you haven't said shit about it. You're twirling your pen furiously and," Chanwoo stands up and stretches his neck to glance at Donghyuk's laptop screen, getting all giraffe-like, and then smirks as if hardly surprised, "that blank document might attest to your pondering of a deep academic question. But that's boring. And I know it's a lie if you say it. So tell me. What's wrong?"

Donghyuk stares back at Chanwoo, annoyed that his friend can read him, as if he isn't the type to spell his feelings out in bold marker and gold glitter across his face. He glances at the ballpoint pen in his hand, gripping at it mid-swirl and placing it on the table loudly. Chanwoo's eyes are as wide as bowling balls. He does that to appear encouraging and innocent, though it frequently crosses the line to being just plain creepy. Donghyuk takes a deep sigh, knowing there's no point in hiding anything from Chanwoo. And, in all honesty, he's been _dying_ to get it off his chest.

"He's got a _kid_."

It takes a moment, but, as completely predicted, Chanwoo bursts into laughter. Donghyuk stares on, his face heating up. He closes his eyes tightly, hoping he could somehow turn this into a dream. It's really a nightmare. He opens his eyes and Chanwoo is still guffawing.

"You mean the Modern History tutor you've got the hots for? That… What's his name… _Junhwe_?"

Donghyuk's shoulders sag a little lower. He wishes he could disappear under the table. It doesn't really help that Chanwoo is laughing so hard that his face has turned almost purple.

Goo Junhwe, PhD student and the History department's newest addition. Verified eye candy (criteria: tall, broad shoulders, great smile). Very well-read. Wears those hipster wire-rimmed glasses. Makes helpful PowerPoints. Remembers his reusable coffee cup nine out of ten times (not that Donghyuk is counting). Smart, but isn't patronising. Young, but like, _mature_. In summary: totally Donghyuk's type.

"I went to his house."

" _You went to his house_?" Chanwoo echoes, high-pitched.

Donghyuk really wants to reach out and strangle the boy, but murder is only the second thing on his mind right now. He huffs, scrunching his eyebrows at his own anguished reflection on his laptop screen. "I wanted to ask him a few questions about the research essay. Like, over coffee or something. But he said he's quite busy outside of tutorial hours."

"And?"

"And he said if I didn't mind I could come to his house. Because it's a lot easier for him."

"Boy. You took it, and you _ran_ with it."

"Well, it's true that I never see him around campus outside tutorials," Donghyuk defends, bristling. Not even in the Arts library, not that Donghyuk has fantasised about bumping into Junhwe in the tight aisles with classical Korean poetry anthologies left and right, and starting a conversation about their favourite ones before they realised they were talking too loud, so, embarrassed and giggling, would continue their conversation outside. Or in a café. Or on a bed somewhere. Donghyuk's _never_ thought about it. "And he seemed willing enough to help me."

"You wore cologne."

"What- Well, yes. It's called not smelling like shit. It's a duty we owe to everyone in society. You gamers won't understand."

Chanwoo rolls his eyes to that one, but he's unfazed. He is really, _really_ amused. "You lathered up. Shea butter or whatever."

"Basic self-care, my friend."

"You waxed your ass. I bet you did."

" _What?!_ "

Chanwoo holds his gaze.

Donghyuk stares back silently, before his eyes shake and falter. Fuck!

" _Oh, my sweet Donghyuk_ ," Chanwoo cries, and Donghyuk winces. He feels his stomach shrivel. "My sweet, sweet Donghyuk. You thought you were getting those private _contact hours_!" If Chanwoo's face could be replaced by an emoji, it would be the one laughing with tears in its eyes. Very soon, it could be the skull one.

Donghyuk's glare is sharp. "I think we - _you_ \- are missing the point here."

" _You_ clearly missed the point too-" 

"The point is!" Donghyuk clarifies loudly, pressing his fist on the table. Chanwoo raises his eyebrow. "I went to his house. It's an apartment in Yeonnam-dong. The moment he pulls back the door, he apologises and asks if I could be really quiet because there's a kid sleeping. And I- I don't know. I just assume it's his younger brother or something. I mean. Yeah. There's photos in the apartment of them two, and the kid has his features so I didn't really question it. He prepares tea and stuff and we sit in his lounge casually discussing the essay and then we move to the topic of movies, and then…"

Chanwoo eagerly looks on despite Donghyuk's hesitance, absolutely certain that there is something he'd _love_ to hear about. He's not really wrong about that. He usually isn't, when it comes to Donghyuk's thirst ventures. "And then what."

Donghyuk can't even handle what he's about to say next. He exhales. "I _spill_ my cup of tea."

"You did not!"

"I did."

"No."

"No what!" Donghyuk snaps, annoyed. "I did it! I spilled my cup of tea over my jeans."

Chanwoo gasps. "Seriously! There was a _kid_ in the other room!"

Donghyuk bows his head in defeat. He's really indefensible. In retrospect, it _was_ kind of distasteful of him.

"It's like some bad porn scenario. I literally can't believe you." After a pause, Chanwoo shoves a large Dorito in his mouth. "But do continue."

Donghyuk sighs. "It's not my proudest moment either okay." Donghyuk can think of a dozen other ways he would have - _had -_ done it in the past. Though, let's just say Donghyuk wasn't usually the one who had to initiate a lot of these things. There was a _reason_ he was known as the best fuck around campus (read: the gym showers frequented equally by the school rugby, basketball, and football teams). Though, the reason apparently escapes the minds of people like Junhwe, because he sat on the other end of the couch and did little to close the distance between them. It felt a little strange, because Donghyuk _dressed_ dressed up, and Junhwe was only in a plain white t-shirt and loose black slacks, a casual sight compared to his tutorial looks. Junhwe made no comment on Donghyuk's efforts - Donghyuk wouldn't have known how to answer anyway - but Donghyuk certainly did not miss how Junhwe's eyes trailed the slice of chest through the opening of his button-up, more than once. Signs. Funny how Donghyuk would take anything, but ignore the blatant red flags. The conclusion of this is that _someone_ had to make the first move, and Donghyuk welcomed that burden on himself.

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm crying. But if you want to know what was supposed to happen: they end up getting together.


	2. NIGHT_02: STUDENTS_OF_THE_LAW

"Have you heard?"

If it was not about the fact that class was cancelled, then Junhwe did not really care to hear about it. He was, in sanitised terms, still "working through" his readings and he could use a day's break. Though, from the way everyone promptly flipped open their laptops as the professor appeared and made his way across to the lectern, that obviously was not the case. 

Junhwe sighed in response to his friend, opening his exercise book in defeat and flipping to the next blank page. Gossip, albeit a worthy pursuit in freshman year, no longer inspired his concern coming into third year. He did not want to look at his classmates and get immediately reminded about _who_ they had slept with last weekend, or which one of the big firms they had familial affiliation with. Somehow the latter was worse. Not somehow; definitely.

Although, Junhwe was kind of relying on Chanwoo's access to his older brother's nicely consolidated and colour-coded notes to help him pass this wretched course. And the last time Chanwoo opened the conversation with the same line, it was to inform Junhwe that the vegan club was handing out free zucchini pasta in the student quadrant. That turned out to be very rewarding for Junhwe. So, and notwithstanding the fact that Chanwoo was his best (and arguably only) friend, Junhwe generously granted the boy the benefit of his doubt.

"What."

Chanwoo closed his Twitch stream tab as their professor started speaking. He opened his note document which was just a screed of words, often a direct transcription of what came out of their professor's mouth. At some point he had flirted with an automatic audio transcription tool that was supposed to be Godsend for students of the Law, but when revising for their mocks last year he found someone's incredibly NFSW dream recount woven in between the professor's explanation of the criminal sentencing process. In complete horror, he showed this to Junhwe in the library. Junhwe laughed so hard he cried (and then threw up because he was so exhausted and sleep-deprived). 

Anyhow, Junhwe preferred handwriting his notes because it forced him to pay attention (and not end up on some Buzzfeed quiz determining what type of bread he was based on his sleeping habits). He had not yet studied the correlation between this new method and his grades, if any. Besides, if he was to take away something from STATISTICS101: correlation does not equal causation! Sadly.

_There's a new guy in our cohort_ , Chanwoo typed, underneath a paragraph with many red underlines. _Name is Kim Donghyuk_

_Cool. And?_ Junhwe scribbled inside the margin of his ruled notebook.

_He's from SNU. Top of class. Summer clerked at C &S. Does a lot of pro bono shit. Basically a NERD_

Wow. So everything Junhwe isn't. _Um. OK._ Because what else was Junhwe meant to say? If Chanwoo's intention was to further darken Junhwe's bleak outlooks, he had succeeded.

_Yea idk I heard this from Jungkook_

_Why is he at KU now_

_Heard they poached him. Full ride_

_Is he in this class rn_

_Don’t see any new faces. Maybe other stream ?_

_Right._

_Yea. Come to Minghao's party tonight btw._

_I'll think about it. Or I might just start the contract essay_

_LOL_

Junhwe took this chance to copy the lecture slide into his notebook. It was about the upcoming moot. The dreaded moot. Before entering law school Junhwe suffered from stage fright. He had a come a long way since then, largely because when it came down to it, one faced two choices: 1) Get over it; or 2) Choose another degree. This did not mean Junhwe did not sweat profusely before and during every moot he has done, and walk out of the moot court absolutely glistening. One would have thought he fought a war in there. Perhaps he did. Their partners would be assigned randomly, and announced in tomorrow's class.

_Wait are u serious? You aren't coming??_

_Minghao is just gonna play his Chinese trap music all night. You wanna go?_

_Bro_

_No_

_What a letdown_

_Hah_

_I'm going after lacrosse tonight. Come_

_No_

_Anyway. Jungkook said Dokyeom is bringing the new guy. Apparently lol_

_Why are you so obsessed with the new guy?_

_IDK. Some people wanna KNOW the people in their cohort ???? Future colleagues??????_

_Not if I don’t pass! Not if I don't get hired !_

_Lmao. Feels._

Junhwe did not respond _._

_1 skill for a top lawyer: PERSISTENCE!!!!_

"Chanwoo-ssi, do you have a question about the upcoming moot?"

Junhwe almost snorted out loud when he realised the entire lecture hall had turned to ogle at his friend. Keeping his head down, he continued copying the slide into his book.

"Ah," Chanwoo cleared his throat, "sorry Professor Choi. My friend here, Junhwe-ssi, was just telling me how excited he is for our moot. It's his favourite part of law school."

Only moments short of Junhwe making a public revocation of Chanwoo's Best Friend card, he suddenly remembered that he was supposedly attending a sold-out fancy-pants law cocktail next month, all thanks to Chanwoo who had somehow scalped an extra ticket from a senior he had _rapport_ with (interpret as: flattered to death). For as long as Chanwoo provided practical benefits to Junhwe, it was probably not a clever idea to rid him just yet. Not to mention, once again, that Chanwoo was his best (and only!) friend.

"Well!" Professor Choi smiled, without really smiling. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, maybe he should listen carefully as I explain what he will be required to do."

Junhwe reserved his response to only a deep sigh, and continued etching his notes while Chanwoo, in glee, typed away at a speed the combination of Junhwe's KULSA ballpoint pen and cramping hand was in no position to match.

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see... Junhwe is something of a disillusioned law student (who secretly works really hard) and Donghyuk is meant to be some Teacher's Pet kind of student. Donghyuk and Junhwe get sort of close as moot buddies, and Donghyuk encourages Junhwe to have confidence in himself and do more outside of just studying. So, overall, Junhwe becomes a better person through Donghyuk. Then, during the time of their moot, Donghyuk gets in some kind of trouble. His father is a well-known politician and there's some major scandal going on with that so Donghyuk's reputation around school isn't too good so he doesn't attend classes much. Junhwe's worried about their moot, but he doesn't bring it up because Donghyuk has other things to worry about. He loses contact with him for a while. Then, Donghyuk shows up on the day of their moot and they do it. As they come out together, Donghyuk having shown up to school for the first time in a while, Donghyuk is outcasted and verbally abused by other students. Junhwe defends him in front of everyone.
> 
> That's as far as I thought.


	3. NIGHT_03: HALLOWE'EN

Looking back on it, when he sees Donghyuk coming out of the room dressed as Harley Quinn, Junhwe isn't sure why he was ever bothered by the initial idea of his boyfriend dressing as Catwoman.

At least Catwoman wears _pants_ , if you’d call them that.

Junhwe, who really had to be coerced into even putting on the headband and cape, feels a bit silly as Donghyuk sways over with a sly smile, dragging his baseball bat along the laminate floorboards behind his heeled boots.

“You said you’d be Catwoman,” Junhwe says, dumbly, as Donghyuk stops in front of him, tall and imposing, close enough so Junhwe is able to smell the musky perfume but far enough so he can't reach out and touch. Junhwe feels absolutely powerless. He doesn't even know if he can even stand up on his two feet if asked; his bones have melted, as has every shred of thought in his head.

Donghyuk in fucking booty shorts and tights. How the fuck.

“Hmm…” Donghyuk hums happily. “I thought this would be more fun. I get to wear make-up. And I don’t think it looks too bad anyhow," he concludes, assessing his own handiwork against the reflective surface of the table, before smiling at Junhwe.

It is possibly the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Junhwe. Maybe more the former. He doesn't know. But he does know that he is _fucked_. Absolutely fucked.

“It's n-not too bad,” he croaks in agreement.

Donghyuk giggles shyly. “Let’s go! I don’t want us to be the last ones to arrive.” He hooks his finger through the collar of Junhwe’s cape, the silk of his red glove sultrily brushing Junhwe’s neck, to pull him off the couch. Junhwe somehow finds the strength to stand and follows dazedly behind his boyfriend.

It’s going to be a long night.

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe this doesn't quite belong here because it can be something of a drabble... But I started writing this so long ago that even if I had an actual plot for this... I've forgotten now LOL


	4. NIGHT_04: iKON!

It happened in the short break during their photoshoot for some Japanese magazine. Yunhyeong cornered Junhwe as he headed to the toilet, the rest of the members and staff all milling around the snacks and drinks in the other room separated by the wall Junhwe was pressed against. Admittedly, it caught Junhwe by surprise. Where Hanbin gave everyone a hard time in the recording studio and practice rooms, and Jinhwan became his own dark cloud in the dorms, Yunhyeong expressed through nagging and whining, mostly annoying you until you got the point. There was never outright aggression.

Junhwe was sceptical about feeling threatened by someone with a ridiculous perm and beret tipped at a weird angle, but with his hand on Junhwe's shoulder, a crushing weight, and eyes steeled, Junhwe could tell this was beyond the usual matter vexing the older member.

"Sort it out. With Donghyuk. Whatever it is, sort it out."

Junhwe blinked. He almost went for his classic, clueless smile. "I don't know what you're on about, hyung."

But Yunhyeong wasn't dumb, and Junhwe had always been the worst actor in the group. "Yes, you do. I've asked to switch rooms for tonight. I'm now with Hanbin, and you and Donghyuk are in one room. Talk to him."

And with that, Yunhyeong let go of Junhwe.

"It won't work! He's just going to ignore me!" Junhwe remarked as the other male headed back to the set.

"No, he won't! Just talk to him!"

"Why are you doing this?"

Pausing in step, Yunhyeong answered without turning around. "Because everyone is seeing through your bullshit."

To avoid the confrontation, frankly, Junhwe nagged for Jinhwan to hang out with him after their magazine shoot. Hanging out with Jinhwan in Japan was always very fruitful, because with the both of their fluency in Japanese they were able to do things a lot more comfortably. Plus, Jinhwan shared a similar taste in many things to Junhwe. They weren't selling the whole 'soulmates' thing to fans for nothing.

But when Jinhwan rejected him, and quite flatly at that, Junhwe then had to resort to asking the others. Turned out this looked like suddenly wrapping an arm around Chanwoo's shoulder, which would be a lot simpler if the boy wasn't the same height as him.

"What do you want."

"Want to go and grab food? I don't feel like heading back just yet."

"Your shout?"

"… Sure."

"Nah. I'm kind of tired."

And that ended there. He didn't need to ask Hanbin because that man picked sleep over anything. He wasn't about to ask Bobby. Yunhyeong would have chopped his ass for even thinking about it.

(And Donghyuk… Yeah).

They had always been an unlikely pair.

When Donghyuk joined YG he was smiley, aegyo-filled, and had an awful Justin Bieber bowl-cut. Admittedly, he is still the same, minus the hairstyle. All the hyungs immediately liked Donghyuk, because he was inevitably better at being cute than Junhwe was, and despite actually being older than Junhwe he filled the maknae role ever so naturally. Junhwe on the other hand, who had already been there for a couple of months and quickly figured out his method of survival, was extremely cocky. His first reaction to Donghyuk, who grinned brightly and suggested they should just be friends, was the only thing he knew to do at that time: be cold. Yet, Donghyuk was annoyingly persistent, from constantly trying to talk to Junhwe during their brief practice breaks or sitting with him in the cafeteria, and for better or worse Junhwe began to question if Donghyuk's cheerfulness and friendliness wasn't just a mere persona. Wouldn't that be scary? Okay. Perhaps it was Donghyuk's survival strategy. On some nights just before sleep washed over him, after hours upon hours of backbreaking practice, Junhwe used his last shreds of energy to consider this possibility. He could hear Donghyuk's soft snores in the bunk below him. If only an image, Junhwe wasn't going to fall for such deception.

But it happened one night, perhaps four months since the six of them started training as a group. For some reason Donghyuk kept forgetting the moves to the new choreography, and they had barely managed to finish the song after several hours of being yelled at by Hanbin. While everyone, aside from Hanbin who stayed behind to work on songs, headed home, Junhwe rushed to the bathroom to relieve what he had held during practice. He remembers needing to pee so badly he was seeing stars, and it was only after he finished, with a deep sigh of relief, did he realise he could hear sniffling in the bathroom. It was only after he looked around, frightened, did he realise Donghyuk was in one of the cubicles, crying. Junhwe, like the idiot he was (and still is), stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Eventually Donghyuk came outside, eyes completely swollen from tears. After patting cold water over his face, they walked back to the dorms together in silence. They never properly spoke of the incident, but Junhwe later learned that day was the anniversary of Donghyuk's father's death. Nevertheless, Junhwe decided after that experience that there was one thing that he hated about Donghyuk more than his tiring enthusiasm and bubbliness (fake or not), and that was hearing him cry.

The next day, Junhwe voluntarily sat next to Donghyuk at the cafeteria. Donghyuk smiled brightly, and as per usual jokingly asked if he could have some of the egg roll Junhwe had pushed to the corner of his tray (to savour at the end). Without looking back at Donghyuk directly, Junhwe grunted that he wasn't feeling hungry, and scooped the rolls onto Donghyuk's tray. Donghyuk was speechless. Of course, this whole spectacle did not go unnoticed, but the hyungs probably believed Donghyuk had finally won Junhwe over. And maybe he had.

So, that was that. It went unspoken that there was something between them, and, if anything, it was understood as a special bond they shared over being the youngest members in the group. Jinhwan, Jiwon, and Hanbin had known each other for years, and Yunhyeong was still a hyung, so the two of them, still impressionably 16 years old at this point, found common ground with each other. If anyone had noticed something more, the topic was never broached. It was not unusual for Hanbin to come home in the early morning from the studio to find Junhwe and Donghyuk curled up in his king single, but at that point he was too tired to make a fuss and just dropped into Donghyuk's bottom bunk.

[…]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I wrote [You're All I Ever Wanted (And Worth Dying For Too)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19028245), I attempted another iKON! verse AU and it went something like this.


	5. NIGHT_05: FALLEN_STAR

_My name is Kim Donghyuk. I am a journalist. His name is Goo Junhwe. He was my lover._

Donghyuk is a journalist, which by default means he makes his living at the expense of others. They made sure to teach it in ethics. If not a principle weighing down every word that you publish under your name, it should at least be something carried in the back of the mind. To some, something not louder than a whisper when drafting a scandal piece based entirely on a tip-off from a dubious email. Hey, a bozo reporter had once told Donghyuk over an espresso martini, a story's a story!

A story is a story is a story. A journalist is nothing but a storyteller. It is their job to take in information, and then present it in the way they think is most truthful. But how is one meant to capture an event, a story - a _person_ \- in only words, charts, soundbites, and pictures? Does the journalist have a right to transform a real event into a screed of symbols and demand it be taken as the truth? Does the journalist have the right to compact someone's humanity into a tiny morsel to digest?

Searching the name 'Goo Junhwe' can bring up over 16,000,000 results in under a second. Every one of these may tell a different story. Together as tiny fragments they form the never-ending jigsaw puzzle pieces to the question of who he was.

Donghyuk does not know the answer, and he won't even dream of trying to find it. No one can have a claim on any objective truth, despite it being what every journalist thinks is out there and hopes to uncover. But Donghyuk knows enough.

He knows who Goo Junhwe was, to him.

Goo Junhwe was a star. He was a successful actor and model. The Nation's Crush. An aspiring poet. An awful fisherman. He was Donghyuk's lover.

Though, to make it clear, Donghyuk did not go into the business of tabloid journalism by first choice. Donghyuk was one of the lucky ones, in that he came out of undergrad with an immediate job offer from the company he interned for. The company ran a couple of social activism magazines and newspapers, mostly online ones where their main demographic was, and Donghyuk had freedom to pursue his own topics of interest, so long as he met the monthly article quota. He broke some stories any amateur journalist ought to have pride in, such as a fraudulent rest home scheme and a high school teacher accused of misconduct. But still, the prospect of this job seemed too good to be true, and so it turned out to be. A few months in, the budget review concluded that their advertisement revenue and meagre funding from a handful of social activism organisations was insufficient to continue running half the publications they ran. He already saw this coming, when funding allocated for his field research was silently moved and Donghyuk either paid out of his own pocket or had to write articles based on other journalists' works. Donghyuk quit shortly out of courtesy.

He was introduced to his next gig at a slightly bigger and more reputable agency from a college friend. His previous work meant he had _some_ degree of achievement under his belt, and the agency was understaffed enough to take him aboard. He was assigned to a small cubicle with rusted blinds to his left and dusty filing cabinets to his right, and spent a few months being in charge of the Household Episode, a little segment in the gossip magazine dedicated to reader's submissions of household tips. It sounded easy enough, but was a nasty little thing to deal with. The publication of a tip came with a small monetary reward, so some readers sent in dozens of tips hoping to get chosen. Donghyuk spent most of his days reading and sorting through emails. Nothing came out of this by way of professional development, but Donghyuk was enlightened on perhaps a dozen new ways to remove stains from his shirts, all sworn to be family secrets passed down the line and all sworn to work without fail.

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to break your heart, this was meant to be a Famous, Beloved, and Misunderstood Celebrity! Junhwe and Cynical Journalist! Donghyuk who falls in love with him AU. Donghyuk was initially commissioned to try break some news on Junhwe (whom the nation is obsessed with), and after some struggles he manages to get close to (a reserved and exclusive) Junhwe. At the end, Junhwe loses his own fight. Donghyuk still decides to tell Junhwe's story, but through an autobiography about himself and the Junhwe he got to know (and fell in love with).


	6. NIGHT_06: MEDIA_CLASS

Media class was already a daunting three-times-a-week chore for the introverted like Junhwe, with his directed classmates overeager to share and debate their respective criticisms of the films when Junhwe just wanted to enjoy the cinematography, but this wasn't helped either by his teacher Miss Park.

Miss Park was one of those younger teachers who believed with every fibre of their existence that creativity was the most precious gift that needed to be nurtured, preferring to give the kids free reign with their learning rather than adhere to any strict guidelines. In a way, her nonchalance was ominous. It was ominous to the status quo loyals like Junhwe. Like how she would walk into class, her Mary Janes clicking and the back of her chiffon floral dress lifting by the pathetic wind from the creaking fans, and do this:

"Minghao. Left or right."

No context whatsoever. Minghao, who had his phone stuck to his face only three seconds before, sat up straight in his chair and looked at his surroundings. He answered Left, because on his left sat Hansol, and if Miss Park was doing what she did last week when she randomly made them pair up with the person sitting behind for an American film quiz, English-fluent and 90s-obsessed Hansol was the man Minghao wanted to be with.

"Okay! Left, then." Miss Park grinned, and then divided a stack of paper into four, handing them down each of the rows. Junhwe watched some students in the front row sigh, some whose bespectacled eyes lit up. Pulling his pencil from his ear, Junhwe curiously read the sheet as it arrived to his grubby desk.

"As you know, we have projects in media class which account for a significant portion of your grade, the other important determinant being your final exam. For the rest of the semester you guys will be working on a short film!"

Someone in the back cheered.

"It can be anything. A documentary, mockumentary, drama, musical, animation - if you've got the capabilities. Anything. Whatever you want to try out."

"Is there a theme, Miss Park? Or do we pick that too?" Jihyo asked.

Bambam chucked his paper ball in the air and caught it. "Nah, it won't be. That wouldn't make sense."

Miss Park laughed. That was exactly what Junhwe meant about the ominousness. "Minghao chose left, yes?" She lifted her balled fists parallel to each side of her face. "Yugyeom. _My_ left or _your_ left?"

When Yugyeom suddenly looked up, his bangs flopped in front of his eyes. Everyone turned to the boy, as if he was in charge of the fate of their world. Perhaps he was. But for Yugyeom, whose hardest decision on a day-to-day basis was which song to record a dance cover to next, this pressure was just too much. "Uh… I don't know!" Junhwe snorted quietly and Bambam, Yugyeom's best friend, winced. Yugyeom's widened eyes darted around the classroom in panic. "Ask Junhwe!"

What.

And now all eyes recalibrated to land on Junhwe, usually silent in class until called upon. His anxiety levels were rushing off the charts. "Um." Yugyeom had the nerve to shoot him a thumbs up and a smile full of braces. "Your left Miss Park," Junhwe blurted, without thinking.

"Okay!" Hesitating no further, Miss Park opened her left hand, palm facing the students. On it, written in black permanent marker, was the word LOVE. " _Love_ is your theme! Thank you, Junhwe. And if you look to who is sitting on _your_ right, which is _my_ left, they will be your partner for this project!"

There were gasps and groans, and instant chatter amongst the students. Some gave Junhwe a look of despair while others excitedly started spewing ideas to their partner. Miss Park noted that the theme was set, but they were free to interpret the word however they wanted for their film. It would be good to demonstrate the techniques and concepts they learned in class, but they didn't have to, if they blatantly disagreed with it. It was all free reign. Anything was acceptable, as long as it was not illegal and the School Board or, lest, the Ministry of Education didn't come after them. The school would also lend them film cameras and other relevant equipment. Someone asked Miss Park to uncurl her right hand, but she only responded by raising her eyebrows, and then continued with the class. It was all too much to process.

The last of things Junhwe managed to process, in that bedlam of a class, was that the empty seat on his right belonged to the newest student of his cohort, Kim Donghyuk.

"No, Junhwe. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

No, not really. For the sake of respecting Hanbin, Junhwe looked up at the boy but continued diligently mixing his vegetarian bibimbap, one of the less exciting options at the cafeteria. Junhwe and Hanbin had been neighbours since Junhwe's earliest memories, but although Hanbin was older than him he found it uncomfortable being faithful to the hierarchy thing when his parents weren't around to scold him. He settled at a half-way point, which in reality was exemplified by Junhwe apparently earnestly listening to Hanbin's critiques and opinions about situations, but ultimately not giving two shits. "No, not really."

Hanbin slid Junhwe the bread roll from his tray, and in return Junhwe slid over his strawberry yoghurt tub. Junhwe suffered from lactose intolerance. "Thanks. Anyway, so. You were saying your teacher asked someone to pick a side, and they chose left. And then she asked _you_ to pick _whose_ left. Correct?"

"Yeah. That was yesterday."

"Yeah." Hanbin stared at Junhwe, as if there was some special meaning echoing from what they just said.

"And? Yeah. I ended up picking LOVE."

"No!"

If the entire drama clique weren't sitting in the middle of the cafeteria that lunchtime, being noisy and obnoxious as they were, heads would have absolutely turned at Hanbin's sudden exclamation. But they were sitting there, so only Junhwe, as always, witnessed Hanbin's moment (and in 4D - he believed he saw a piece of sesame launch from Hanbin's mouth and land somewhere on his face).

Junhwe patted around his cheeks, but felt nothing. "What is your point?"

"Here, think about it. When she made _you_ choose, she was essentially undoing the first choice and letting you decide the course again. _Your_ left or _her_ left? That's basically left or right! It didn't matter that the first choice was left. If it was right, it would have been _your_ right or _her_ right. That is right or left." Hanbin tapped his spoon on Junhwe's tray. "You see. She was giving you the final choice. You thought it was limited, or already predetermined by the first. But it wasn't. _You-_ Oh, hey Yunhyeong-hyung."

Hanbin's crazy tirade was interrupted by the senior appearing at the table, placing his tray beside Hanbin's and sliding into the seat beside him.

"Hey Hanbin. Hi Junhwe. What are you guys talking about?"

Junhwe noticed that Yunhyeong had meat in his freshly served bibimbap, contrary to what the ahjumma's snidely told him earlier. It must have been because Yunhyeong was Yunhyeong. Everyone liked him, from the students to teaching staff to even the cafeteria ladies. He had the air of someone destined to become Student President, and everyone treated him like so. You could tell Yunhyeong's success in life was written in the cards, just from the way he would bring his own wet tissues to sanitise his hands before starting his meal. Amused, as always, Junhwe continued chowing down his thoroughly mixed bibimbap.

"I'm trying to empower Junhwe," Hanbin answered. "I want him to know that even if the door seems closed, he may still be the one holding the key."

"Woah." Yunhyeong sounded impressed. Hanbin blushed. Being the prospective Student President casted a shadow over one's behaviour and mannerisms. Junhwe could see right through Yunhyeong's _lies_. Perhaps Hanbin was less endowed with such awareness.

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I left this at Hanbin being clowned... And, what's with me and Donghyuk being the new kid in the cohort????? The plot of this is that jundong go and film a documentary about DVD rooms (at Donghyuk's suggestion and because Junhwe is too embarrassed and virginal to disagree) and they have some s*xy times :(


	7. NIGHT_07: THE_SANGDONG_FILES_#1

Donghyuk is more than puzzled when he pads out into the motel lobby, shivering to the air conditioner yet to warm up, and sees a massive box being unloaded from the delivery truck backed up on the driveway. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and watches curiously from behind the glass door, unwilling to step outside into the snow in just his sweater and track pants, until the poor delivery man finally wheels this gigantic parcel up to the steps of Kim's Motel.

Oh, for goodness sake. How could he forget? Donghyuk wants to curse but at the same time he is not even surprised. If anything, he is disappointed that he didn't see this coming. The massive box is Minho's Christmas gift for Taehyung. After moving to Seoul to chase his dreams, his older brother's best friend had only made a few rare appearances back in his hometown, none of these coinciding with the holiday season. Yet, without fail, every year an abhorrently extravagant gift would arrive for little Taehyung, signed with love from the now successful musician. One year it was a wooden riding horse, accompanied with various patterned saddles, which Taehyung lost interest in after a month or two. Another year it was a flying UFO set. Last year it was a model train set so gargantuan it spreads through several rooms in their house, which has only given Jinhwan endless grief. Donghyuk has a feeling Minho either loses track of how old Taehyung is, or he has a weird perception of what kids at that age enjoy.

This year? He wonders. Donghyuk offers the delivery man a hot drink, thanks him, and then when alone again in the motel lobby he ponders what could be inside a cardboard box the same height as himself. Anything really, as far he has learned. Donghyuk reckons when Minho travels down to Sangdong again, whenever that is, he would give the man a good kick in the shin. Granted, Donghyuk can respect that Minho wants to maximise the surprise element, so rather than directly sending the gift to Hanbin and Jinhwan's house he gets it delivered to the motel. But that means for the past few years, _Donghyuk_ has been the one hauling this clutter to the house every Christmas. It is worth it, though, if it means Taehyung is happy. Anyway. Donghyuk would still like to kick Minho. If given the chance.

After staring at the box mindlessly for a few more moments, it dawns on him like an incoming migraine. Donghyuk rubs his temple, wondering how on earth he is meant to transport this box to the house in a few days with the pickup truck he normally drives at the mechanic's and Jinhwan's sedan being too small to handle the girth, when he hears footsteps on the staircase.

"Good morning Donghyuk."

Donghyuk turns around. He thought he heard a smile in the detective's voice, and when he realises he was correct he can only break into a grin. Suddenly the air conditioning feels excessively warm. "Good morning Junhwe."

The taller male is dressed, seemingly prepared for an expedition out in the freezing temperatures. He has a thick grey scarf bundled around his neck, showing only his rounded face and atypical fluffy hair. It is somehow adorable.

_Now, don't you go thinking that._

"Bit chilly in here isn't it? What's in that?"

What is wh- Oh. _Oh._ Donghyuk's frustration bubbles up again as he turns to face the new exhibit in the motel lobby. The edges of the box are soggy from the snow. "It's my nephew's Christmas gift. From one of his uncles. I don't know what's in it and, frankly, I am scared."

The detective laughs, and it's a pleasant sound to hear so early in the morning. "Your nephew must have high standards for his gifts."

"No. His uncle is just out-of-touch. Taehyung is still a baby. He would go nuts if someone gave him just a banana. Wrapped up, of course."

Donghyuk is half-exaggerating on that one, but it is nice to see that Junhwe finds it funny. Recently, strangely, every time the detective smiled or laughed, Donghyuk would feel warmth bloom in his chest. He supposes it comes from the joy in seeing Junhwe in his more personal moments, the line in the jaw and crease of the brows signature to the detective softened when outside of work.

"Is that what you're getting him?"

"Honestly, if it saves money then maybe," Donghyuk jokes. "I bought him some sneakers. Jinhwan-hyung told me to buy books, because Tae can read now. But I still want to be a _cool_ uncle, you know?" Junhwe nods. "Anyway. Are you heading out? You look well-equipped."

"Ah, yeah. I'm going to post a few packages up to Seoul."

"Nice." A thought surfaces in Donghyuk's head. "Actually, would you mind picking up a few items for me at the store? It's just a few. My truck is dead and I don't know if it's worth freezing my toes for some corn oil. If it's not a bother, that is."

"Sure, t-that wouldn't be a problem." Junhwe nods willingly.

"If you just wait three seconds I'll grab that list Jinhwan-hyung left for me." Donghyuk rushes behind the counter. "I really should get going on all those dishes I volunteered to make, but I kind of need the ingredients first."

"Uh." Junhwe scratches his head. "Did you want to come along? I don't mind. Truthfully, I'm not that great with grocery shopping."

"Even with this meticulous list?" Donghyuk finally digs up the memo, full of small notes and highlights. The highlights, which didn't really correspond with anything important, were probably Taehyung's addition.

"You'd be surprised."

"I would like to be." Donghyuk grins. "But I think for now, the Christmas dinner is more important. Thank you for offering, Junhwe."

"It's not a problem.

"Let me get a few eco-bags from the kitchen."

"Donghyuk?"

"Yeah?"

"Grab a warm coat too."

"Okay."

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like every year I attempt to write some Christmas one shot and fail horribly. This is part of my beloved [Birthday Babes](https://archiveofourown.org/series/851790) universe which I've been meaning to bring back...


	8. NIGHT_08: THE_SANGDONG_FILES_#2

There are some things in the world one ought to know. Whether it inspires relief or not (for Junhwe, he sits on indifference), the world is governed by logic. Formulas and models turn seemingly random events into quantifiable meanings. Put together different factors and the story unfolds. And humans are inherently rational, at least subjectively.

There might be the assumption that homicide detectives, who arguably glimpse human nature at its most degenerative, would disagree with this notion. Humans are irrational. Incidents are erratic and arbitrary. But homicide detectives are in fact the ones who see the truth with the most clarity. Crime is solved by discerning patterns, negotiating reason, and, to put it plainly, resting on the assurance that everything can be explained.

It should bother Junhwe, who understands this proposition better than anyone, that he has absolutely no inkling of a clue as to why he suddenly finds it difficult to maintain eye contact with the owner of the motel he is currently residing in. At his prime he had been involved with some of the most high-profile homicide investigations in the country, and now, sitting at the table with a direct view into the kitchen where Donghyuk prepares breakfast for the motel guests, Junhwe feels like his brain has reduced to the consistency of thick, slow-moving sludge, one brain cell navigating uselessly in the abyss. And he hasn't even had his morning hit of caffeine yet, so how dare his heart start doing triathlons? (Junhwe noticed this coincidentally as Donghyuk looked up with a smile). Concerning, to say the least.

"Are you seriously going to tell me you don't have the hots for him?"

Sometimes, Junhwe wondered why he bothered keeping Yunhyeong around. Who even used that term anymore, the _hots_? But unlike some things that strike Junhwe as unpleasant, in an absolute and objective sense, Yunhyeong's company has been far from. When Junhwe was sent to Sangdong, out of his Superintendent's spite, both Yunhyeong and the department's second-newest recruit Chanwoo were dragged along. They were chosen specifically because they were less moved by internal politics; in the extreme polarised climate of Department 7 the two officers appeared to sit idly on the fence (Yunhyeong on a white fleece chair rug).

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Junhwe-ya. I love everything about this motel, honestly, but the walls are slightly thin. Especially around the bathroom. _Especially_ at 3am. And the hot water doesn't even run past midnight! You're a total beast, Junhwe-ya. A maniac."

[...]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fragment of my beloved [Birthday Babes](https://archiveofourown.org/series/851790) universe. In case it's not clear... this is meant to be about Junhwe, um, ... he's having a _hard_ time dealing with his newfound feelings for the pretty motel owner...


End file.
